hey, im pretty new at this stuff, just wondered if you could get sensors that go straight to a pc (sensors > pc) rather than sensors > weather station > pc?
thanks for you time.
hi
well, you can do that, by using dallas 1 wire sensors, which go to a com port adaptor on the PC…
or wioth say a labjack.com, which does not use an weather station as such…
but which weather station type sensors are you talkin about?
id be looking to measure the temperature, rainfall and wind speed/direction.
thanks for your help 
the dallas 1 wire might be worth looking at…
try http://www.aagelectronica.com/aag/
they are reasonable priced 1 wire manufacturor/dealer. There are other places where you can get other sensors, etc. build your own or pre-assembled., but AAG is a good starting point.
My answer is: How much do you want to spend? and in response to Jeep, how good are you at “tinkering”?
WHile I’m good at electronics and tinkering and whatnot, for my first station I wanted something that was complete and wireless. Secondary to completeness was price-We’re not rich. I chose the WMR-968 for those reasons. Now, that’s not to say that I’m 110% satisfied, it’s a bit weak in some areas(raingauge in my case). I’ve had no problems with any of the other sensors. They read true and correct and really haven’t given me any heartache. Overall, however, I’m more than satisfied.
Even the OSI WMR-968 isn’t cheap at $300 or thereabouts, but it’s qwuite a bit cheaper than Davis or the other one-wire makers(from memory most of those start at $450 or more).
So I say the WMR-968 is a good first set.
Sam
im looking to go cheap as possible, but with reliable results. o and i forgot to say, im in the uk.
nath
the dallas 1 wire vers station is only 75$US or so from aag …
(temperature, windspeed, direction)
Sam is confused about the difference between “1-wire” and “wired” weather stations.
A wired station just means the sensors transmit their data via wires to the console, then the console is connected via rs232 to the computer. (I prefer wired because the data is updated more often than wireless)
a 1-wire station is a little different, "Dallas Semiconductor/Maxim provides a technology called 1-Wire
But IMHO he’s right about “tinkering” where 1-wire is concerned
I’ve got a Huger (Oregon Scientific) WM-918 (wired) that I replaced with a WMR-928 when I moved house and wired wasn’t easy to achieve. It’s not been used for a couple of years, but was working when I took the station apart. I’ve just checked the box and it’s complete apart from the 12v PSU for the console and the manual. I’m pretty sure i’ll have both of these because I rarely throw anything away! Even if I can’t find them, the PSU is standard 12v and I’m pretty sure there’s an electronic version of the manual on the web somewhere. The console also talks nicely to the Weather Display software.
I’m also in the UK, so If you’re interested send me a PM and we can discuss a price (which won’t be horrendously expensive!)
Oh yea, you only have to read my MANY posts about problems I was having to see it takes a LOT of tinkering.
But finally getting it right and having everything running smoothly is VERY satisfying.
Absolutely, if your’re into electronic projects then this is a great one, it even has a real world result that the non-techies in your life can appreciate.
Just thought I’d check in again to mention that I definitely know the difference between wired and 1-wire applications-Dallas and Davis just got confused in my head…
Sam
i think im going to go the 1 wire route, does anyone know of any sites that sell 1-wire products in the uk?
Or where i could get the schematics from?
thanks for your help
does anyone know of any sites that sell 1-wire products in the uk?
I live in the UK and have not found a local dealer for 1-wire products. However, I have bought things from
http://www.aagelectronica.com/aag/
and
http://www.hobby-boards.com/1wireboards/1-wire_boards.html
Reasonable prices and prompt delivery (Although you will be hit with delivery and VAT).